'Zaatar Days, Henna Nights,' and 'Fire on the Mountain'

Middle Eastern culture is veiled in mystery and misconception. Next time on the Beat, Seattle based writer Maliha Masood takes us into the lives of the people she met on her journey through Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. We also get Appalachian stories through song.

07:00 - 'Fire on the Mountain'Some stories can only be told in a song. Seattle-based musican Dan Wheetman has written musical tales of civil rights, labor struggles, and forgotten eras in a number of local productions. Today, Dan Wheetman, Mississippi Charles Bevel, and Molly Andrews share the stories of Appalachian coal miners and the music of "Fire on the Mountain."

20:00 - Zaatar Days, Henna NightsYou have to go to the Middle East to understand it. Arab countries are not as bleak, oppressive or radical as the picture painted in the news. Maliha Masood fled a grinding dot com job in Seattle in the late 90ís to discover her Eastern roots and writes about the journey in her book, Zataar Days, Henna Nights. Today, Maliha offers us a different view of the Middle East through her adventures.

34:00 - Sounds Familiar: 'Hello Ma Baby'Amanda Wilde, host of The Swing Years and Beyond, joins us with the little-known history of songs we didn't know we knew so well.

55:00 - Julius Caesar One of Handel's most popular operas, Julius Caesar deals with the Roman general's arrival in Egypt, his affair with Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and Cleopatra's rise to power. We're exactly one week early for the Ides of March, but the Seattle production of Julius Caesar only runs through March 10th. We'll sample Concerto Koln's recording of Handel's opera later this hour.